Live videos or live streamings are becoming more and more fashionable, but what are their advantages and disadvantages? Today we'll tell you all about them.
Advantages of live video
- Open and personalised communication. With live broadcasts you can reach everyone who wants to receive one or more messages, from potential future customers to members of your own staff. You just have to create the right message and deliver it in the most appropriate way in each case.
- Surprise and novelty factor: for users it is not the same to see a "story" or publication from a few hours ago, as it is to see what is happening at that very moment. For this reason, live videos have become a powerful tool for journalists, who have transmitted live shocking scoops to their followers.
- Availability: If you choose to set it up this way, you can offer both live and recorded content, and you can satisfy the needs of all your audience, who will be able to see you when they need to and without pressure.
- It is a profitable medium and we can talk about monetisation. You can become a content creator and earn money with your live videos without spending anything, as the videos are live and there are no post-production costs.
- Feedback: For example, if something is going wrong with the broadcast of your event, users can use the communication tools of the streaming platform and let you know, as well as if there is something about the live event itself that doesn't seem right or adequate. The feedback is instantaneous.
- Breaking down geographical barriers: Of course, web streaming allows any random person with an internet connection, regardless of where they are located, to view the content.
- Trust and recall. Live streaming allows your user to see that there are human beings behind your brand. Through this type of live content it is easier to create close relationships between company and client to increase the recall of your brand in the minds of users.
- SEO positioning: Live video streaming improves the positioning of your brand on your website, which generates a higher number of visits to your website or online shop.
Disadvantages of live streaming
- Possible disconnections: A very good internet connection is necessary to carry out a streaming service. If this connection were to fail for any reason, the session would be compromised. Likewise, the participants of the transmission must also have a good bandwidth to enjoy the maximum quality of the session without suffering interruptions or disconnections.
- Interpersonal: Live video is a quick and easy way to connect globally at the same time, but you don't get as personal with the users.
- There is no access control- your feed is public and will be available to anyone who wants to access it.
The 7 best platforms for live video
As you can see the advantages of live video for us are more than the disadvantages, so before finishing this post, we want to give you the seven best platforms for you to venture into the world of live streaming.
- YouTube Live: The video platform par excellence has been at the top since it uploaded its first video back in 2005, and has since grown to become an entertainment giant.
- Twitch: Twitch has become the main tool for broadcasting live videos, especially with regard to video game streaming, but it continues to grow and expand its scope to include interviews, live tournaments, art, cooking shows, etc.
- Facebook Live: Facebook Live broadcasts take the form of a post, so once finished, they are saved on our wall. Their reach is limited to the followers of your page, depending on your privacy settings. During the streaming video we can interact with the content and respond to comments in real time.
- Instagram Live: Instagram Live has become a great option to carry out your marketing strategy. Thanks to its simplicity, many professional accounts, from large or small brands, have opted for this format to interact with their audience. You just have to log in to your Instagram account so that you can make a live broadcast from your profile.
- Tik-Tok Live: As with Instagram, Tik-Tok lives will allow us to increase our audience and interact closely with our followers from our mobile device, although we will be limited to it.
Remember that live videos, and, therefore, these platforms, are booming and betting on them is the best thing to do for your online marketing strategies.
